Adesuwa Tsan
President Bola Tinubu has challenged governments of the United States, United Kingdom and other world leaders to show sincerity in the growth and development of Nigeria and the African continent by investing in its critical industries, opening their ports to a wider range and larger quantity of African exports, and meaningful debt relief.
Speaking during his first address at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the early hours of Wednesday in New York , he said Nigeria will welcome partnerships with “those (countries) who do not mind seeing Nigeria and Africa assume larger roles in the global community.”
Tinubu said: “The question is not whether Nigeria is open for business. The question is how much of the world is truly open to doing business with Nigeria and Africa in an equal, mutually beneficial manner.
“Direct investment in critical industries, opening their ports to a wider range and larger quantity of African exports and meaningful debt relief are important aspects of the cooperation we seek.”
He acknowledged that “failures in good governance have hindered Africa. But broken promises, unfair treatment and outright exploitation from abroad have also exacted a heavy toll on our ability to progress.
“Given this long history, if this year’s theme is to mean anything at all, it must mean something special and particular to Africa.”
The President noted that underlying conditions and causes of the economic challenges facing today’s Africa are significantly different from those of post war Europe and therefore, “we are not asking for identical programmes and actions.
“What we seek is an equally firm commitment to partnership. We seek enhanced international cooperation with African nations to achieve the 2030 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.”
